A novel
macrocyclic 1,7-dioxa-[2.1.1]-(2,6)-pyridinophane ligand has been
synthesized and crystallographically characterized. Two derived metal
complexes, dichloropalladium(II) and chlorocopper(I), were prepared.
In the palladium(II) complex LPdCl2, both in the solid
state, according to its crystallographic characterization, and in
CH2Cl2 solutions at −40 °C, according
to 1H NMR spectroscopy, the ligand adapts a C
1-symmetric κ2-N,N-coordination mode in which the metal atom binds to two
nonequivalent pyridine fragments of the macrocycle. The complex is
fluxional at 20 °C. In the crystalline copper(I) complex LCuCl,
the macrocyclic ligand is also κ2-N,N-coordinated to the metal, but it utilizes two
equivalent pyridine fragments for the binding. The copper(I) complex
is fluxional in CH2Cl2 solutions in the temperature
range between 20 and −70 °C and is proposed to be involved
in a fast intermolecular macrocyclic ligand exchange which is slowed
down below −40 °C. DFT calculations predict a lower thermodynamic
stability of the dioxapyridinophane-derived complexes LPdCl2 and LCuCl, as compared to their [2.1.1]-(2,6)-pyridinophane analogs
containing bridging CH2 groups instead of the oxygen atoms.
The electron poor dioxapyridinophane chlorocopper(I) complex, in combination
with NaBArF
4 (BArF
4 =
tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate)
in dichloromethane solutions, can serve as an efficient catalyst for
aziridination of various olefins with PhINTs at 0–22 °C.